Florida left to play spoiler in bowl chase

Nov 12, 2017 - 9:12 PM
The first SEC team eliminated from the bowl chase this year was Mississippi, which came into the season banned from postseason play.
The second team out is ... Florida?
It's hard to believe, but while teams like Vanderbilt (4-6) and Missouri (5-5) fight for bowl spots, Florida is now 3-6 after Saturday's loss to South Carolina . The Gators have only two games left on their schedule — they had a game in September against Northern Colorado canceled because of Hurricane Irma, and it hasn't been rescheduled.
It is possible for a five-win team to make a bowl if there aren't enough .500 teams to fill all the slots, but don't expect to see Florida — which is being led by an interim coach after the midseason firing of Jim McElwain — playing in the postseason.
One opportunity that could keep the Gators motivated is the chance to end rival Florida State's bowl hopes. The Seminoles also are 3-6 after a loss to Clemson , but they did reschedule a game against Louisiana-Monroe for Dec. 2, giving themselves a chance to make it back to .500.
Florida hosts Florida State on Nov. 25.
There are 78 bowl spots available this season for FBS teams, and the following 59 teams already are eligible:
Alabama
Alabama-Birmingham
Appalachian State
Arizona
Army
Auburn
Boise State
Central Florida
Central Michigan
Clemson
Colorado State
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Fresno State
Georgia
Georgia State
Houston
Iowa
Iowa State
Kentucky
Louisville
LSU
Marshall
Memphis
Miami
Michigan
Michigan State
Mississippi State
Navy
N.C. State
North Texas
Northern Illinois
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Ohio
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Penn State
San Diego State
SMU
South Carolina
South Florida
Southern California
Southern Mississippi
Stanford
TCU
Texas A&M
Toledo
Troy
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
Washington
Washington State
West Virginia
Western Michigan
Wisconsin
Wyoming
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More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 .
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Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister